{reading} Apron Anxiety

The job I had in Washington DC was so overwhelming that some days I literally could not get out of bed. I guess they call this depression, but at the time I would have told you I was being lazy and couldn’t bear the thought of putting on my stilettos, driving in bumper to bumper traffic and parking a million miles away from where I needed to be to avoid (unsuccessfully) yet another parking ticket.

I had no friends in the city and spent a disgusting amount of time in my car. I planned my days around where I would eat lunch (by myself) and on some of those days, the plan was to have a burger at Good Stuff Eatery.

Good Stuff was owned and operated by Chef Spike Mendleson, a chef that I loved to hate on Bravo’s Top Chef. The burgers were out of this world and fries with rosemary are still something that I crave.

About a month after Good Stuff opened I stumbled upon a fabulously written blog about a woman dating a Chef and learning to cook in DC. I could relate on many levels, feeling out of place and not good enough.  It turns out that woman was the girlfriend of Chef Spike. I was instantly a fan of her writing and followed the blog even after I quit that horrible job and moved to Richmond. Alyssa Shelasky, just released a book about her relationship, learning to cook and living in DC named after her blog, Apron Anxiety.

Apron Anxiety, the book and the blog has seriously inspired me. I am not a book reviewer, so it is hard to put in to words why I liked it so much. If you are looking for a semi-foodie, semi-celebrity, full on story-of-a-cool-girl book to read this summer, this is it.

Amazon Book Description
Apron Anxiety is the hilarious and heartfelt memoir of quintessential city girl Alyssa Shelasky and her crazy, complicated love affair with...the kitchen.

Three months into a relationship with her TV-chef crush, celebrity journalist Alyssa Shelasky left her highly social life in New York City to live with him in D.C. But what followed was no fairy tale: Chef hours are tough on a relationship. Surrounded by foodies yet unable to make a cup of tea, she was displaced and discouraged. Motivated at first by self-preservation rather than culinary passion, Shelasky embarked on a journey to master the kitchen, and she created the blog Apron Anxiety (ApronAnxiety.com) to share her stories.

This is a memoir (with recipes) about learning to cook, the ups and downs of love, and entering the world of food full throttle. Readers will delight in her infectious voice as she dishes on everything from the sexy chef scene to the unexpected inner calm of tying on an apron.